James Hudson Visit A Success
Michigan’s class is filling up at defensive line, but it seems very likely that this staff will add another name (or two? Somehow?) before it’s all said and done. Hudson has been high on Michigan for a while, and a visit this past weekend didn’t change that.
“It went real well,” Hudson told The Michigan Insider ($). “I viewed the campus and met with some of the coaches. I also spent some time with Rashan (Gary) too. (The visit) was a 10 out of 10. I liked just everything they are doing there. I also liked meeting with the coaches and the tour, just everything.”
It will be fascinating to see what this staff plans to do at defensive line, where they have commitments from tackles Phillip Paea (6’4”, 285), Aubrey Solomon (6’3”, 305), and ends Luiji Vilain (6’4”, 240) and Corey Malone-Hatcher (6’3”, 246). Hudson is apparently being recruited as a tackle.
More Camp Fallout
Needless to say, Michigan’s Ann Arbor camps have been an amazing success. Another player I haven’t mentioned yet who had a good time is three-star 2017 offensive tackle Toryque Bateman (Gadsden, AL), who has a top two of Michigan and Tennessee. Bateman told 247Sports that his trip to Ann Arbor was “maybe my best visit.” Bateman is a guy who’s gotten a bit lost in the shuffle, but he’s a very solid prospect with terrific size at 6’8”, 305.
In the wake of Aubrey Solomon’s sudden commitment, Steve Lorenz is reporting that Michigan’s staff has made a push ($) to get Aubrey’s mom more comfortable with the decision and with the Wolverines. They are trying to get both mom and son up for the BBQ at the Big House in early August.
Meanwhile, five-star lineman Wyatt Davis visited with his father as part of a Midwest swing. Initial reports indicated a good visit ... but he was not nearly as impressed, it seems, as he was with Ohio State ($).
“I talked to [Urban Meyer] on the phone a couple times but really meeting someone you see on TV for all those years, he’s such a historic coach, just to sit down with him and hear him talk, I’m not going to say I was star-struck but it was on that level.”
Davis will be committing sometime this week, and Ohio State is the heavy favorite. Unfortunate stuff.
Isaiah Wilson Update
Michigan fans may have assumed Wilson would ultimately end up in Ann Arbor when all is said and done, but his most recent interview shows a player still firmly undecided. Reading the tea leaves (always hazardous, those tea leaves can get you) seems to indicate that Georgia is slowly gaining on Michigan and Alabama.
"It was good," Wilson said. "I like the way that coach Pittman coaches. He’s a very straightforward guy and that makes you want to play for him. He liked my footwork a lot and said that I need have more form with my hands, be more set on a slot to keep them and where I want to strike with them.
"When I stepped on the field I felt something special about that field," he said. "It was just a different feeling that I’ve never had before.”
And this is why Michigan has put so much work into the tackle position of the ‘17 class. There are many, many options on the table, and it’s likely, in fact, that Michigan gets to Plan Z and still finds a four-star they like by knocking on some tires mid-way through the season.
But, to recap some of the hottest names right now: Michigan is in very good standing with Kai-Leon Herbert and might get a commitment from both him and his teammate, guard T.J. Slaton. The aforementioned Bateman, and the yet-to-be-mentioned Randolph, are TBD.
The next couple weeks might produce a commitment from either Andrew Stueber and Joel Honigford, both of whom are three-stars. Of those last two names, I’d be excited about a commitment from Honigford, who’s a smooth athlete with a long frame and could probably be a four-star. Stueber is a good run blocker with some stiffness and slower feet, but a decent amount of potential.
Artur Sitkowski Interview
Michigan has handed out nine offers to 2018 quarterbacks, which is sometimes the first major domino to fall in a class. One of those scholarships was to four-star New Jersey native Artur Sitkowski, who spoke to Rivals this week ($) about participating in Michigan’s A4 camp.
"I felt I did alright," he said. "I can always work on the footwork and get faster, more mobile. All of those things make a complete quarterback so I’m just working all the time to improve on every aspect of my game...
“Coach Harbaugh really motivates me to do better and better," Sitkowski said. "I love Coach Harbaugh. He’s energetic and has a great passion for the game. I can’t wait to do more for him in the future.
"Coach Fisch really knows what he's talking about. It was great throwing in front of both of them."
Michigan officially offered the young man during his stay in Ann Arbor. Sitkowski’s Crystal Balls read 75% in favor of Michigan.
Getting To Know Mike Harley
Managed to keep track of all the important receivers in this class so far? No? Yeah, me neither. Another more recent name to note is that of Michael Harley, a four-star 2017 slot receiver out of St. Thomas Aquinas in Florida. Harley is only 5’9” and 155, but that hasn’t kept him from dominating the route tree ($) with speed and quickness.
"I don’t really know much about [Michigan] right now," Harley said. "All I know is that Flanagan’s old head coach and Devin Bush and like half of south Florida is there now. It feels like a bunch of guys from south Florida are headed up to Michigan.
"I’ve been cool with all those Flanagan guys. They are saying great things. They say you have to work for your spot and it’s real hard but you just have to work."
Oh, and his 0-60 isn’t bad, either. Harley expects to make a decision by early August.
Four-Star OL Robert Hainsey Down To Three
Hainsey released a top three this week of Michigan, Michigan State, and Notre Dame, and discussed what he liked about his choices with 247Sports. Notre Dame is considered the favorite here, but luckily we won’t have to wait long: Hainsey will be announcing his final choice during the Opening, which will take place from July 6-10.
Other News & Notes: Slideshows Everywhere
Yet another four-star 2017 offensive tackle - Kendall Randolph, out of Madison, Alabama - has included Michigan in his top four, released late last night. Saban and Alabama are considered the favorites to land his services, which would continue a trend of being close but with no cigar for Alabama prospects. Also, while we’re on the subject of tackles, Jedrick Wills did not end up making it to campus this week, hence the no-mention of the almost-five-star.
247Sports is reporting ($) that Michigan is on the outside looking in for four-star all-purpose back C.J. Holmes (Cheshire, CT), despite Holmes’ great relationship ($) with Don Brown. Notre Dame is trending in this one after a great visit to South Bend.
"Considering that Coach Don Brown is the coach who gave me my first offer at Boston College back in 2014, I'd say I have a tremendous relationship with him individually," Holmes told Rivals. "My connections with other coaches grow deeper as time goes by. They're recruiting me very hard."
The Free Press has an assortment of tweets about Michigan’s latest satellite camps. Sam Webb writes in depth for the Detroit News about Aubrey Solomon, Rashan Gary, and more. 247Sports has a slideshow of the top ten recruiting targets for the 2017 class. They also have a complete list of all of Harbaugh’s camp jerseys, with the latest being Steph Curry.